How To Warm Up An Email

How to properly warm up an email account before starting a cold email campaign?

Delivering the emails to the required addresses is the main aim of the cold email campaign. As per the reports that are published in this regard about 20% of the total emails fail to reach the recipients. At DooxMail we are also aware of the fact that as soon as a new account is created it gets blocked once the campaign starts. The issue here is the fact that the new email addresses are not warmed up. With the continuous updates to Google, it is becoming harder for marketers to get emails to their inboxes. To avoid all this it is essential to warm up your inbox before you start sending emails. In this blog, we will educate you about all the tactics that are required to get the work done with perfection. 

What is Email Warm-up?

It is a way that you use for the new account to increase the reputation and at the same time also get an increased email sending limit. 

The process includes a mechanism that allows you to send a smaller number of emails each day and increase the limit gradually. A new email account once created gets a specific number of email-sending limits that cannot be consumed entirely. For instance, the G-Suite account gets you a limit of 2000 emails per day. On the very first day, the limit is less and cannot be used entirely. 

It can be done with the help of a good reputation and an email warm-up comes into action here. It takes about 8 – 12 weeks to get the deliverability number allowed. If a warm-up tool is used in this regard then the process is faster and more comprehensive as compared to getting it done naturally.

Why email warm-up is necessary? 

There are two major concerns here i.e. sender reputation and higher delivery rates. It is very important especially if you are using a new email address to send out a large number of emails for your cold email campaign. The first thing in this regard is to reach the recipient inbox and once it is done you can easily engage the user. It will build the relationship and get you all that is required for your business i.e. a loyal user. 

Getting your inbox warm for a longer period will make sure that you get the marketing work done without any hassles and get a higher open rate. Without any more wait let’s delve deep into the subject to know more about email warming and how you can get maximum output from this mechanism in regard to the cold email campaign. 

Steps to warm-up email account before sending a cold email

Step 1: Account Authentication

Step 2: Send individual emails

Step 3: Initiating and responding to conversation threads

Step 4: Subscribe to the newsletter

Step 5: Maintain the time gap between two emails

Step 6: Setting up test campaigns

Step 7: Bonus

Step 1: Account Authentication

Once a new email account is set up the first step that you want to follow is to authenticate the account so that it is not affected by spam filters. It also allows you to get the emails delivered right to the inbox to engage the users. Following are some kinds of email authenticators:

• SPF

SPF or the sender policy framework is a type of authentication where a record is created in DNS where all the authorized servers are listed. It means that such servers are authorized to send emails on behalf of a domain. When ESP finds an SPF authentication from the sender’s side it gives a clean chit to the sender domain.

• DKIM

Domain Key Identified Mail is where a digital signature is added to the domain. It not only prevents email spoofing but also allows the emails to land in the right places. 

• DMARC

Domain-based message authentication, reporting, and conformance use the SPF and DKIM to provide authentication to the ESP that no malicious intent is associated with the email that is being received.

• Custom Domain

Such domains provide authentication to your emails and even documents by adding the domain name to them. This makes the ESP believe that the emails and the documents are from a secure resource and have also been authenticated. 

Step 2: Send Individual Emails

The email warm-up process starts once you send emails to your friends and family members and they reply so that the reputation is built. At the start make sure that you only send 10 – 20 emails per day that are engaging the recipients. It will allow you to increase the volume of emails per day. If the engagement is up to the mark then not only does your email limit for daily use increase but the account also gets ready for email campaigns. Make sure that you are sending emails to all major exchanges like Gmail, Yahoo. Zoho, Yandex, AOL, Godaddy, iCloud, and Outlook. This activity will make it easy for the email to get on good terms with the spam filters. Once it is done you can easily send emails for your cold campaign without any issue. 

P.S. A personalized subject line in the email response will get you better responses.

Step 3: Initiating and responding to conversation threads

Engagement is not just about sending messages you must get a response as well. To make sure that your emails are read and replied make the content as engaging as you possibly can. You can also start a conversation by sending emails from your old email accounts and replying to them from the new one. Here continuous conversation is too important as it takes up to 12 weeks to establish the reputation and to get a daily limit increase. The process is not complicated at all and it allows you to get email nurtured after authentic activities. It also makes it possible for the ESP to trust your email address and increases your quota. In most cases, you also get the access to send mass emails as well. 

Step 4: Subscribe Newsletter

Regardless of your profession, you can subscribe to the newsletters of your interest. Once the newsletters are subscribed the confirmation email is sent, Make sure that you open and confirm your subscription on each email that is received. Warming up your email address does not only mean that you have to send emails but you also need to receive them to build a solid reputation. This will make sure that email inflow increases and your email is validated.

Step 5: Maintain the time gap between two consecutive emails

Every email service provider has algorithms configured to keep a strict check on how emails are sent and received. It is very important to make these algorithms realize that you are a person and not a robot. This can be done by keeping huge intervals between the two emails sent. Do not send too many emails at once as it will get the ESP suspicious of the activities that are being performed. If you are sending too many emails at once then it will trigger the spam filters and can lead to blockage or even termination of your account. 

Step 6: Set up a Personalized Test Campaign

Once the 12 weeks have been completed your account is ready for the cold email campaigns. Use DooxMail in this regard to get the work done. Before you start sending a huge number of emails make sure that you are sending a small batch of 20 – 30 emails to friends and family members so that you get responses. 

• Personalize Emails

Make sure that your emails are opened and read as this is the main aspect of account warming. Getting replies is another key to success in this regard and makes sure that you get the best outcome in regards to your campaign. Using DooxMail to write personalized emails just like humans is no big deal at all. Keep your subjects engaging to get the best possible open rate.

• Do Not Use Spam Phrases

It is very important not to use the phrases or words like free, 50%, grab, and free for you sort of phrases that will attract spam filters. Keeping your content clean with a minimum number of links and avoiding content that brings a negative reputation will increase your chances of success. 

• Add Unsubscribe Link

Even if it is a test campaign make sure that an unsubscribe link is added to the emails that are being sent even to a small group. Limit all the changes that can lead to your emails being spammed at all. For new accounts, this is too crucial as it can lead to a negative reputation completely. Adding such a link to your email will also allow the recipients to quickly unsubscribe if they are not interested. This is a feature that keeps your emails away from the spam filter and also keeps your recipients happy.

Step 7: Best Bonus Practices

If the above-mentioned steps are followed then your account is surely ready for the cold email campaigns. Below are some of the most important tips that you can follow in this regard to make sure that you get the best outcome concerning warming up your email address.

• Do not sound like a robot
• Limit the use of links in your emails
• Choose the service provider that is trustworthy and exactly as per your needs and demands.
• Do not use images, videos, and GIFs in your emails. 
• Do not use automation while the email warm-up process

Using DooxMail for email sequencing will greatly improve your chances of getting approval for mass emails. It is the best integration that would be a boon for your cold email campaigns.

For how long email warm-up is required

It is advised to keep the sequence up and running even if you started the cold email campaign for positive results. It will not only maintain a healthy incoming and outgoing activity but will also get you the desired results by keeping your email address whitelisted. 

Final thoughts

You must always follow healthy email activities so that your email address remains whitelisted and you do not get into issues while your cold email campaign is running. Abide by the rules and you will get positive results in regard to your cold emailing at the same time, ESP will also know that you are a human, not a robot.